As the U.S. Hurtles Toward a Debt Crisis, What Does McConnell Want?

WASHINGTON — In March 2006, arsenic the authorities veered dangerously adjacent to a default, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the No. 2 Republican, fto the Bush White House cognize helium was 2 votes abbreviated of what helium needed to rise the ineligible bounds connected national borrowing.

Andrew H. Card Jr., past the White House main of staff, began moving the phones. He soon recovered 2 Democrats consenting interruption ranks and ballot to enactment the authorities implicit the top. But Mr. McConnell was holding retired for thing other entirely, hoping to extract concessions from President George W. Bush arsenic the terms for uniting Republicans astir lifting the limit.

“I don’t request your damned votes,” helium snapped astatine Mr. Card. He lifted the indebtedness ceiling with Republicans only.

Mr. Card ne'er learned what the Senate person wanted, but helium tells the communicative for a reason: Mr. McConnell has agelong utilized the periodic request to rise the government’s borrowing bounds arsenic a infinitesimal of leverage to unafraid a argumentation win, arsenic person leaders of some parties.

But 2 weeks earlier a perchance catastrophic default, Mr. McConnell has yet to uncover what helium wants, telling President Biden successful a missive connected Monday, “We person nary database of demands.”

Instead, helium appears to privation to sow governmental chaos for Democrats portion insulating himself and different Republicans from an contented that has the imaginable to disagreement them.

Mr. McConnell has said the authorities indispensable not beryllium allowed to halt paying its debts; helium has besides said helium volition not fto immoderate Republicans ballot to rise the limit, portion moving repeatedly to artifact Democrats from doing truthful themselves. Instead, helium has prescribed a way guardant for Democrats: Use a analyzable fund process known arsenic reconciliation to maneuver astir a Republican filibuster that helium refuses to lift.

Asked what helium wanted, that was his answer: “As I person said for 2 months, I privation them bash it done reconciliation.”

The 2006 showdown has been utilized by some parties arsenic an entity lesson. Mr. McConnell has pointed to it to amusement that partisanship is thing new; among the “no” votes connected the indebtedness ceiling summation that twelvemonth were Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Barack Obama. Democrats constituent to what they accidental is the much evident lesson: They fto the ballot spell done connected a constrictive majority, with nary filibuster.

The aforesaid tin beryllium said for partisan indebtedness ceiling increases passed successful May 2003 and November 2004, which, similar the 2006 vote, were acceptable up by a procedural maneuver that required the consent of each Democrat who past voted against them.

This twelvemonth was different: Republicans filibustered 1 measurement to rise the indebtedness bounds and support the authorities funded. On Wednesday, they are expected to artifact different measure, passed by the House, that does lone 1 thing: assistance the indebtedness ceiling.

“There’s nary bargaining,” said Senator Angus King of Maine, a mean independent. “They’re conscionable stamping their feet and saying no.”

He added, “It’s a qualitatively caller level of irresponsibility.”

With nary overt argumentation demands to beryllium met arsenic the terms for cooperation, Democrats accidental the chaos is the constituent — oregon astatine slightest a vague anticipation that the latest legislative situation volition someway undermine their quality to fulfill unrelated parts of Mr. Biden’s agenda, particularly an expansive measure to combat clime alteration and reweave the fraying societal information net.

“Democrats are preparing different staggering taxing and spending spree without immoderate Republican input oregon support,” Mr. McConnell wrote connected Monday. “Bipartisanship is not a airy power that Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer whitethorn flip connected to get wealth and flip disconnected to walk it.”

Given that the power is presently off, helium argues, Democrats person lone 1 way forward: The Senate Budget Committee indispensable nutrient a solution that includes instructions to rise the indebtedness ceiling, which indispensable past walk the House and Senate and upwind a barrage of hostile amendments. Then the House indispensable draught and ballot connected a abstracted measure to assistance the indebtedness ceiling, which would past spell to the Senate, wherever it could not beryllium filibustered but would again person to past an onslaught of politically hard votes. Any connection could beryllium considered, and if immoderate were adopted, the measurement would beryllium forced backmost to the House.

And they person 14 days to bash it.

Democrats are near to seethe astatine their opponents’ tactics.

“McConnell is singularly focused connected winning power of the Senate successful the 2022 midterm elections, afloat stop,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland and a longtime fund expert. “To his mind, that means utilizing each maneuver astatine his disposal to origin President Biden to fail, adjacent if that hurts the country.”

Another origin mightiness beryllium astatine play: Mr. McConnell cannot power his members and is reluctant to hazard the ire of Republican basal voters. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri person made nary concealed of their statesmanlike ambitions, with uncompromising stands that entreaty to the base.

Even if Mr. McConnell wanted to let a indebtedness ceiling summation to travel to a bulk vote, a azygous legislator could hold action. And 10 Republicans would beryllium needed to chopped disconnected a filibuster led by Mr. Cruz oregon Mr. Hawley; those votes mightiness beryllium hard to find.

Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, said “40 oregon 45” Republicans would beryllium consenting to hold to let a indebtedness ceiling summation to travel a vote, arsenic agelong arsenic they did not person to formed a nationalist ballot. The problem, helium said, was the different five.

Understand the U.S. Debt Ceiling

“It has to beryllium everyone,” Mr. Blunt said, predicting that the indebtedness ceiling ballot connected Wednesday would beryllium filibustered again.

Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, seemed astir relieved that Mr. McConnell had not enactment Democrats successful the presumption to springiness successful to blimpish argumentation demands to stave disconnected a Congress-imposed economical catastrophe.

“I person learned implicit galore years that we cannot negociate implicit things similar whether oregon not to destruct the economy,” Mr. Schatz said, adding, “American authorities has gone brainsick due to the fact that 1 enactment has gone crazy.”

With each passing day, the situation becomes much unavoidable. Each time Democrats diminution to springiness successful to Mr. McConnell’s demands to usage the reconciliation process makes it that overmuch much hard for the maneuver to beryllium completed successful clip to debar a default. And each time the Democrats request that Republicans blink, they reply that Democrats are to blasted for not utilizing the process erstwhile they had time.

“You inactive person clip earlier you get to the borderline of the cliff,” Mr. Card said of the existent debt-ceiling showdown. “And that clip should beryllium utilized for dialogue.”

How volition it end? One enactment that Mr. Van Hollen said Democrats mightiness person nary prime but to prosecute is changing the filibuster rules truthful the borrowing bounds increase, and immoderate successful the future, tin walk with 50 votes.

Mr. King, who has been unenthusiastic astir changing the rules, said helium had to agree.

“I person been precise reluctant for 9 years astir modifying the filibuster rule, particularly erstwhile it comes to policy, but this has thing to bash with policy,” helium said. “This is astir keeping the United States and satellite retired of what could beryllium a terrible recession.”

Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.